High Magistrate Greef Karga waited patiently for the N-1 Starfighter to make its landing on the bare plot of ground designated as a landing platform. Navarro used to be a more hospitable planet before the Imperials had taken ahold of it for a brief time. He was still rebuilding the economy and the morale of the town, though the inhabitants were largely content now.
Today, he had a different agenda. The top hatch of the ship opened and a familiar man in metal armor hopped out. He turned back around to lift out his companion that always traveled with him just as Karga spoke.
"Mando!" he said cheerfully as he approached. The Mandalorian set Grogu on the ground, allowing him to walk over to the Magistrate.
"How good to see you again." Karga held out his arms in welcome "Catch any new little ones to be friends with our guest of honor?" he eyed Grogu in amusement.
"I hear Narvarro has had some excitement with Spice trade. How is the Marshall holding up?" the Mandalorian asked, arriving beside Karga and stopping.
"Oh fine, just fine. Cara doesn't need much help, now does she?" the man chuckled in return.
"I hear you have work."
"Aw, yes, now if you would just join me for a drink, I can explain."
"I'm not looking to be persuaded. If you have a job, tell me." Din didn't move from his position.
"Warm and cuddly as always, Mando. Some people might think we're not friends." Karga chuckled and glanced back towards the town "Oh very well, perhaps discussing this out of earshot is for the best anyway."
The Mandalorian waited in silence and the Magistrate continued. It was difficult to read emotions beneath the Beskar armor but Karga had learned not to take the shortness personally.
"Narvarro is negotiating an alliance with a planet on the outer rim called Chirano. We want to facilitate the movement of Kyber crystals here. It's common knowledge that those crystals tend to be top on the priority list of Imperials."
"I thought Kyber Crystals could only be found on Utapau." the Mandalorian replied.
"Well, there are several planets that have them. But, you are right, they are not harvested on Chirano. They bring them in from places like Utapau. I don't ask the details on that. They keep them there and we would like to strike a deal to have some brought here."
"You need me to oversee the transport?" Din asked.
Karga shook his head "No, we haven't even gotten that far into the negotiations yet. You see, Chriano is a rather temperamental planet. We have to be careful not to upset them."
"I'm not a negotiator." the Mandalorian said. Grogu looked up at him with a small babble.
"Now, we could debate that all day, but fortunately, I don't need you for that. We already have one from here. They were raised on Nevarro. And they have already offered to go."
"Where do I come in in this?" Din asked. He looked down at Grogu as the little creature sat down with a raspberry sound. The sun was warmer here than they were used to at the moment. He stepped back slightly to shield the kid from the heat.
"We need someone to travel with them as a guard during the mission. Not that we're necessarily expecting trouble, but they asked for an escort and I obliged." Karga put a hand to his chest importantly. Though the Magistrate meant well, he was known for talking things up. It was necessary for someone who ran the operations of the Guild.
"Does the negotiator know how to fight?" Din asked. He had learned from experience that knowing the person's capabilities prior to the mission was wise, if not imperative to survival.
"To my knowledge, they can fire a blaster. Beyond that, I have no idea. I doubt they would have asked for an escort if they felt they were up to the task. They want this deal as well."
The Mandalorian tilted his head, considering the new information. Karga watched him and waited without pressing more.
"What exactly will I be guarding them from?"
Karga nodded as though he approved of the question "As I said, hopefully nothing. But, we have some bad blood with a few pirate groups on Chirano. I would rather our negotiator not get pulverized on the first meeting. The leaders won't let ships land in town. All transports have to land eighty miles south. About a 4 day trip to the main city."
"Why not just use a speeder?" Din asked. His voice didn't change, but Karga sensed that if he was asked about details, there was a good chance the deal was set.
"They don't allow those either. Too many people try to steal the crystals. We're trying to stay on their good side as much as possible."
After that, the conversation fell silent. The Mandalorian was clearly pondering the decision, although it was impossible to know. Karga tilted his head questioningly after several moments.
"When does it start?" Din asked finally.
"Ahh, yes. I was going to get to that. We hope to have the negotiations begin in four days, pending your decision." the Magistrate held out his arms again with a big smile "What do you say, Mando? The pay is right, the company will be good."
The silence struck again but for a much shorter time. Grogu tilted his head up at the Mandalorian, almost as if waiting for an answer too.
"I'll take the job." Din replied and Karga clapped his hands together.
"These parts of town seem to attract more crime than others. I try not to interfere too much with the affairs of businesses, but most of the town seems to appreciate a healthy amount of monitoring on black market dealing." Cara Dune surveyed the town with a satisfied eye as her and the Mandalorian walked through the main street. It was a small city, but new businesses and trades were beginning to flourish. It felt safe enough with children running back and forth through the streets, chasing a ball or other toy.
Grogu's ears lifted at the sight of the children playing and he babbled softly. Cara glanced at him with a slight smile but said nothing.
"I'm glad they got back on their feet after the Imperials attacked." Din replied "You're a good asset for them."
"Well, I try." the woman warrior turned into the parlor they were meeting Karga and the negotiator. She lifted the cloth covering, revealing a full bar of people. Some of them the Mandalorian recognized but most were strangers.
"Mando, our guardian at hand." Karga beckoned him over. Beside him was a group of creatures and humans, mostly men, but a few women were among them.
"These are representatives from Chirano. I brought them here to meet you just so that there's no confusion when you arrive." Karga explained.
The tallest of the creatures nodded at him. He looked almost like a Geonosian with a larger head, no wings, and a rather long tail. It stretched about a yard past the creature's feet. They didn't speak and Din took that to mean they spoke a language not known to most the people in the room.
"These are a few others helping with the negotiations." Karga now held an arm out to the group of humans "Idmia is the one going to Chirano with you."
The Mandalorian turned his head to the woman indicated. She was the shortest and youngest in the group, though her face suggested a maturity beyond her years. She had dark hair that extended just below her shoulders, although it looked like it had just been cut. Her eyes were a strong turquoise and she had light olive skin. When he looked at her, she looked back calmly.
"You'll be taking her ship." Cara spoke up with a small grin suggesting she knew something he didn't "I think you'll like it. Are you planning to take the kid with you?"
"He goes where I go." Din replied.
Karga looked at Idmia and she looked down at Grogu. He perked up with a babble of curiosity, staring back. She seemed to scrutinize him a moment before returning her eyes to the Mandalorian.
"I'll pack some extra food then."
"And, perhaps a pod, so he'll be easy to transport." Karga added.
"We'll have your credits ready at your arrival tomorrow. Twenty thousand from Nevarro. Five thousand from my family for our appreciation." Idmia said.
Cara raised her eyebrows and glanced at Karga. The woman and her parents, who were standing beside her, had not mentioned this prior.
"I don't need credits beyond payment for service." the Mandalorian replied.
"A Mandalorian is beyond what we hoped for." the man next to Idmia spoke. He looked so similar there was no question he was her father "We were not sure you would come."
"I told you he would." Karga smiled "Mando always shows up in times of need."
"Just be careful those weapons don't get you in trouble with the pirates that plague Chirano." the lead representative from the planet "They like Beskar."
"We don't expect trouble with you going in on foot." Karga explained "Even still, we'll want you to be on your guard."
"He always is." Cara gave him a sly look as she turned around to leave the parlor.
"Now, Mando, it may be difficult to get a signal on different points of the journey. Once you leave your ship, communication may be scant until you reach the town." Karga walked alongside the Mandalorian and Cara as they approached the rendezvous point with Idmia.
"But, we will give you a homing beacon." Cara added "If anything goes wrong, activate that. We'll come for you."
"I'm starting to feel like this mission might be more than I bargained for." Din replied. As they turned the corner into the large docking bay, he stopped and stared.
"Told you you'd like the ship." Cara smiled knowingly. She continued on towards the Razor Crest that sat before them. It looked refurbished and new unlike the one he'd lost.
"A Razor Crest?" the Mandalorian asked, voice slightly more breathy "Where did she get it? I was told there weren't any left in the galaxy."
"The galaxy is a big place Mando. This has been in their family for years. They don't use it much, find that it's too large for their simple travels. That's why it would be rare to see it out and about in space." Karga responded "Come now, get settled, I'll wait for Idmia."
The Mandalorian walked up the ramp into the Razor Crest, Grogu held securely in his left arm. It felt like walking back in time for a brief moment before he began seeing differences between his old ship and this one. They didn't have the near the amount of supplies and gear that he once had. Even still, it looked well equipped for long ventures. As he scanned, he noticed an area that looked as though it had been recently set up. Grogu noticed it too, letting out an excited babble.
It was a small nest of blankets with several toys placed around it. There were a few balls as well as animal figurines clearly for a person of Grogu's size.
The Mandalorian looked at it for several moments. Unbeknownst to most people, Grogu was actually fifty years old but he still acted and looked like a very young child. Idmia must have assembled this area once she heard that he would traveling with them. After hesitating a moment longer, the Mandalorian walked over to carefully set Grogu in it. The kid immediately grabbed one of the balls and put it in his mouth.
"No. Those are not food. Take it out." Din said immediately. Grogu did as instructed but then raised a finger to point toward the ladder leading to the cockpit.
"This isn't my ship. We have to wait for Idmia. She should be here soon." he glanced backwards towards the entrance of the ship "Stay here and wait. I'll be right back. Don't touch anything."
He could hear Greef Karga's voice welcoming someone else into the docking bay. Descending the ramp to where Cara was waiting for him, he saw that the negotiator had arrived. She nodded at Karga politely and continued walking as if ready to be on her mission already. He adopted her swift pace.
"I have scheduled the negotiations with Chirano four days from now in the evening." she said "They seem quite eager to get them started so that is a good sign."
"I'm sure you'll convince them an alliance is in their best interests." Cara assured her, putting a hand on her shoulder briefly.
"I hope so." Idmia smiled faintly. Din noticed she wasn't armed.
"I've seen you negotiate with Spice dealers and come out on top. Don't underestimate yourself. I only know how to shoot my way out." Cara said in reply.
"I hope it doesn't end in that. Best be off." The woman gave a very brief glance in the direction of the Mandalorian before boarding her ship.
"Good luck, Mando." Karga said with a definitive nod.
Din said nothing in response, but boarded the ship but followed the woman onto her ship. Cara and the Magistrate stepped back as Idmia hit the switch to lift the ramp.
"May the Force be with you." she waved shortly as she turned away from them.
"I wasn't sure where you wanted to keep him. You can bring him up or leave him down here." Idmia said walking past Grogu and towards the ladder of the cockpit "There shouldn't be anything dangerous down here that isn't locked up."
She started to climb up without waiting for a response. The Mandalorian looked at Grogu, would was happily gazing back up at him.
Idmia went to sit in the pilot's seat and pressed a few controls to power up the Razor Crest. It roared to life and she slowly let it lift off the ground. The landing gear folded into the bottom of the ship and once they were beyond the walls of the docking bay, she accelerated forward.
The Mandalorian joined her a few minutes later and she glanced back. He took a seat behind her on the right. Grogu was not with him.
"Shouldn't be too long of a trip there." Idmia said "We'll make it before nightfall and I hope we can get in a few miles. We'll probably be taking turns keeping watch so you can rest in here while I fly us there."
"Thank you. But I think I'll prepare our supplies for travel." the Mandalorian responded. He looked around the cockpit, determining the familiarity of all the controls.
"They are in the compartment downstairs, near the child." Idmia replied "They should be in order. I did bring small amounts of bacta spray in the case of attack."
"The discussions made it sound like you expect this journey to be dangerous. Have you spoken with the leaders of this planet before?" Din stared ahead as he spoke, watching them leave the atmosphere.
"Not face to face." Idmia responded "I have made the journey there once, but they let me fly my ship in that time. The gangs and pirates have taken over more of the outlands since then."
"If they are gaining control, traveling through their territory could be treacherous. They'll be protective." the Mandalorian replied.
"That's why you're here." Idmia glanced back again. He briefly looked in her direction and then straight ahead again.
The silence continued on until a small voice broke it. The Mandalorian looked back to see Grogu approaching their seats. Idmia followed his gaze, realizing that the child had made his way up the ladder. She briefly scowled, but didn't ask. Standing, she spoke.
"I'll be back in a moment."
Grogu's ears lifted as she passed. Then he looked at the Mandalorian and slowly lifted a hand. He pointed at the lever on the console that had a sphere at the tip.
"Sorry, kid. That one isn't for you." the Mandalorian replied.
The Razor Crest slowly lowered to the ground on what appeared to be a completely deserted planet. The lands were dry and barren, with very few trees in sight. The terrain, however, was anything but flat. They would be trekking up some steep hills.
Idmia pressed several buttons in quick succession, powering down the ship. She then stood up, turning the chair around as she did so. Grogu was sound asleep in the pod beside the Mandalorian, who also got to his feet.
"I'm going to confirm that this is where we should land." Idmia said, starting down the ladder "They said they would have mercenaries here to guard the ship while we were gone."
"I'll go." Din replied.
"They might need to see a familiar face." the woman didn't stop her descent. The Mandalorian waited a moment before following her down. She walked to the large door and pressed a button to lower the ramp.
There was no movement outside. Idmia walked down and several paces out. The Mandalorian lowered his scanner in front of an eye so he could look for life forms. Nothing facing them.
"I'll take a look around." he said, walking to the left of the ship. There were small lizards everywhere that scattered at his approach. He did notice, however, that there was growth along the ground, hard to see unless you examined it closely.
At the tiniest sign of movement, he whipped around, blaster out and aimed at the creatures coming from the opposite side side of the ship. They froze with surprised growls.
"Easy." Idmia held out a hand to pause him "That's them."
Even at her words, the Mandalorian took a minute to lower his gun and holster it.
"Are you here to watch the ship?" Idmia asked, looking at the newcomers. Both of them nodded with great dips of their heads. They looked exactly like the ones that had been on Nevarro.
With a gesture at the Mandalorian, Idmia spoke again "This is my escort. Do they know he is coming?"
Again, they both dipped and lifted their heads wildly.
"We'll leave immediately then." she beckoned the Mandalorian to follow her back into the ship for their supplies. He waited a moment, watching the strange creatures carefully.
Their packs were light, filled mainly with water and food. Even though Chirano looked bare, there were supposed to be sources of water that came up from the ground along the way.
The Mandalorian brought Grogu down in the pod. He was still asleep. He then picked up both the packs, causing Idmia to reach after one.
"I can take one." she said quickly, trying to grasp the strap.
"I'll carry them." Din replied. His tone was mild and firm as it always was, offering no argument. He didn't try to move, but waited until she released her grip. Then he walked out of the ship, the pod following behind.
Idmia nodded to the guards watching her ship and they began their walk. She stayed a few paces ahead of the Mandalorian, holding out a small device. It worked like a compass but with the city as its base point.
They walked a few miles before the sun began to set. Their path so far had been easy to scale and if not for the farkness approaching, they likely could have kept going for hours. Grogu had woken up soon after their departure, cooing at every animal he saw.
Far from being the barren wasteland it had first appeared as, Chirano was teeming with life. It looked, perhaps, as though the area had been desecrated by battle and was just now beginning to flourish again.
"We should make camp before dark." the Mandalorian said, making Idmia halt. She looked back as he begin to scan the area. After a moment, he pointed.
"There are rocks over here that will give us the best protection."
"You know best." Idmia replied, turning towards them. He let her go first and followed with a quick survey of the area behind them.
"Have you gone on many body guarding missions?" she asked as he set down the packs near the edge of the rocky wall. Grogu stretched out a hand towards them.
"Not many." the Mandalorian replied, pulling two round disks out of his supplies. He started walking away, rotating the top of one until it started blinking a faint blue light. Idmia frowned as he set it down on the ground about fifteen feet away to their left.
"What are those?" she queried.
"Motion sensors. They're sensitive to about ten feet. We should know if anyone tries to sneak up on us in the dark." he walked to their right about the same distance away and placed the second one there.
"Yes, especially the hundreds of lizards we passed on our way here." she commented, leaning down to a pack herself. She rummaged through to pull out a lantern.
The Mandalorian walked back over and removed his larger gun from his back. He leaned it against the rocks.
"It should only trigger with creatures just bigger than him." he pointed at Grogu, who was still focusing on their bags.
"Well, then I hope no womp rat comes and joins us tonight." Idmia replied. She sat down on the ground but almost immediately stood back up with a gasp.
The Mandalorian looked over quickly and saw what had surprised her. Some of their rations were floating through the air towards Grogu, whose hands were outstretched to receive them.
"No." the Mandalorian stepped forward to grab them. He shook a finger at Grogu, who wilted at the chastisement "No. Don't do that."
Idmia looked at him with her mouth open, unsure why he was reacting calmly.
"How did he do that?"
The Mandalorian went to put the food back before reaching into his other supplies for something for Grogu "It's just something he does."
"Was he using the Force?" Idmia wasn't put off by his vague answer. Din looked over at her as he handed something to the kid.
"What do you know about the Force?"
She scowled briefly before simply asking "Do you take me for a moron?"
The Mandalorian tilted his head at her retort. It was the first time he had heard her get angry. Grogu stopped eating his food, half of it still hanging from his mouth. The tension hung in the silence for many seconds.
"Back on the ship in Narvarro, you left with a blessing of the Force." Din said pointedly "Are you Jedi?"
Now it was Idmia's turn to hesitate as he answered her snap without so much as raising his voice. She sighed and sat down again.
"No. I'm far from it. But, I'm from Alderaan. I grew up talking about it."
"I thought Alderaan was destroyed by the Empire." the Mandalorian responded.
"It was. My mother was there at the time, but my father I were not." the woman glanced at Grogu "I've never seen a Jedi."
The kid had finished the food and was looking at her quizzically. He held up a hand to her and cooed.
"He isn't a Jedi." Din said and with a heavy exhale sat down on the ground as well "Get some rest. I'll keep watch."